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Remember this scene from "Skyfall" where James Bond is chasing a bad guy across the rooftops of Istanbul?
You might not realize it — in fact, that's part of the point — but a not-insignificant chunk of the footage shot for the movie was filmed using a drone.
In fact, a growing share of blockbuster films involve the use of unmanned aerial footage. Beyond Skyfall, the list includes "Oblivion," "Man of Steel," "Star Trek: Into Darkness," "The Hunger Games," "The Dark Knight Rises," and "Iron Man 3," among others.
Drones give cinematographers a unique advantage over traditional filmmaking methods. They have more reach and range than a crane. They're often more nimble than a helicopter. And that means directors can pull off risky, real-world acrobatic shots that would otherwise have to be created on the computer.
"Ten years ago, when you wanted an action sequence you did them at 18 frames a second, then projected them at 24 — so that you could do them slow but it looks fast," said Emmanuel Previnaire, an academy-award winning drone cinematographer, at a Washington conference on drone technology Wednesday. "Now everything has to happen fast. It's become a very demanding industry in terms of motion control."